Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 712 A Dead End (Seeking votes at the beginning of the month!)

"What's wrong with Young Master Pei? Do you think you can tear me apart in this place?" Yong Ji looked up at him.

"How is Li Xizhou?" Pei Ye asked indifferently.

"killed."

The boy on the cliff top didn't say a word, but the raging flames behind him suddenly expanded, raging and violently revealing his uncontrollable anger.

Yong Ji smiled, then changed the subject: "But we haven't had time yet."

The flames froze, and Pei Ye stared at him coldly.

As if measuring the boy's patience, Yong Ji lowered his head and washed his hands with the clear spring water, then leisurely dried them.

After a while, he looked up, his smile fading, and stared intently at the divine figure atop the cliff.

“Pei Ye. To be honest, I stabbed Li Xizhou, but she is temporarily alive and trapped in the Spirit Realm.” Yong Ji’s voice rarely sounded so serious and frank, yet it carried a solemn tone. “I was originally going to kill her, but since I’ve met you here, we might as well make a deal.”

Pei Ye looked at him for a long while before asking, "What kind of deal?"

“I will spare Li Xizhou’s life, in exchange for either the Xiting Heart or the Canxing Power,” Yong Ji said. “I don’t think that’s an unacceptable price.”

Pei Ye gave a cold sneer.

“Hmm, you don’t believe me,” Yong Ji said.

"You think you're worthy of being trusted?"

What kind of person am I?

Pei Ye remained silent.

“Young Master Pei, I know your character very well, because you are always open and honest, and you are not afraid of people knowing what you do. But does Young Master Pei really know me?” Yong Ji looked up at him. “Besides ‘the rat,’ what kind of person am I in Young Master Pei’s eyes?”

"Maggots in the sewer."

"Then you're just a stupid pig on the road."

Pei Ye looked down at him, but Yong Ji did not back down, and there was a moment of silence in the wind and snow.

“To be honest, I really want to cut off your head, you stupid pig.” Yong Ji lowered his head and cracked his knuckles. “But that’s the first difference between us—I can endure some grievances, Young Hero Pei. For some things that must be done.”

He raised his head, looked intently at Pei Ye, and said calmly, "You are kind and loyal, and Li Xizhou's safety is very important to you. Before obtaining [White Water], I would have done everything in my power to kill Li Xizhou; but now that I have obtained [White Water], Li Xizhou's life or death is not of great importance to me."

“If I kill her, it will only further enrage you and deprive you of an ally to balance the five clans. Therefore, I will give you a chance to exchange the Western Court Heart or the Star Power. You get what you want, and I get what I want.”

Pei Ye remained silent, coldly watching him, but the flames behind him no longer raged wildly, only burning slowly.

“You are not suited to possess the Western Court Heart, nor do you need it,” Yong Ji continued. “Young Master Pei, you were willing to risk your life to protect Feng Huai’s safety in Xin Cang. Now it is time to hand the Western Court Heart over to a more suitable person. The North needs it.”

Pei Ye remained silent, watching him, while the flames behind him subsided somewhat.

“You don’t need to bear such a heavy burden for the world. You can still be your young hero Pei and the swordsman of Shenjing, enjoying the bright sunshine and clear skies, the spring banquets and autumn gatherings, all filled with glory, beauty, and fame. Your friends will also be living well. As for me, I will leave the capital at the beginning of summer,” Yong Ji said in a low voice.

Then he suddenly smiled and said, "Maybe before I leave, I'll also register my name with Young Master Pei's hobby group to support this good spirit of chivalry."

Yong Ji cracked his knuckles: "How is it, Young Hero Pei?"

Pei Ye confirmed that he was no longer speaking, so she tightened her lips and looked down at him: "You have already provoked me too much."

"..." Yong Ji narrowed his eyes.

"You think I'll let you go if you don't kill Li Xizhou? Sooner or later, I'll go north and tear down your Yan Prince's Mansion, drag out the old bastard and the young bastard and kill them all." Pei Ye sneered, drew his sword, turned around, and left the high cliff.

"Oil, salt, no, in." Yong Ji said indifferently.

Then he composed himself and reviewed the boy's performance.

"It seems we haven't found a way to enter the Mirage Realm yet," he muttered to himself, then turned and disappeared from the courtyard.

Pei Ye ignored what Yong Ji said behind him. He strode down the snow steps, his fiery black robe vanishing as the black cat perched on his shoulder. The boy's face returned to calm after his initial anger subsided.

Just as Senior Yingzhao said, by coming to Xiting's heart, one can probably find out about the situation in Xizhou.

If Yong Ji had truly secured victory, he wouldn't have entered Xiting in the first place.

Pei Ye thought he understood him better than Yong Ji did.

Pei Ye didn't distrust his promise; in fact, setting aside his dislike, Yong Ji was, at heart, a man of his word.

Pei Ye revealed this aspect of his character in the matter of Meng'er and Li Youlong. He was ruthless in using any underhanded means, and had almost no bottom line as long as it could achieve his goal. He used Meng'er and Li Cannan's lives as tools and bargaining chips without any burden, and lies and broken promises were naturally allowed to be committed at will.

But he wasn't the kind of petty person who had become accustomed to or even enjoyed being despicable.

He was fully aware of his actions and saw them as a necessary means to achieve a certain goal... Pei Ye even felt that he possessed a certain sense of nobility.

Therefore, Li Xizhou was willing to entrust Li Youlong and Meng'er to the Northern Frontier... In matters that do not involve a purpose, or in transactions where the purpose has already been achieved, he would not, or simply disdain, do despicable things.

Pei Ye didn't believe he had the upper hand.

He knew very well that the black-clad prince harbored a violent streak deep within his character, a blood-like stench that Pei Ye could detect at a sniff.

Yong Ji wasn't really used to achieving his goals through the manipulation and leverage of interests. His attitude towards Shenjing was one of deep-seated contempt, and his methods were far inferior to those of Li Du and Yuan Zhao.

Li Xizhou's life or death was by no means unimportant to him. She was the enemy of the Prince of Yan, and they had been sworn enemies from the beginning. Given the chance, Yong Ji would definitely kill her.

Just as he would inevitably kill himself.

When Pei Ye first saw the black-clad figure, his heart clenched, and a surge of coldness and rage rushed into his mind, but deep down he was still thinking.

After a few words, Pei Ye deliberately provoked him, then shut up, at which point the conversation tended to close.

After a dozen or so breaths, Yong Ji spoke first.

He took the initiative to bring the conversation back to a negotiating atmosphere.

This did indeed give Pei Ye a rough idea of ​​Li Xizhou's situation—she was probably seriously injured, but had not yet completely fallen into Yong Ji's hands, and she likely possessed something that made Yong Ji uneasy.

Yongji may have indeed trapped her, but he couldn't do anything to her for the time being.

That's why he came to see me.

But how long can she hold on? Three days? Two days? One day?
Pei Ye quickly descended from the snow-capped mountain, leaving Xi Tingxin behind. When he opened his eyes, he was still under the towering dome.

Li Jian had returned and was gently shaking the rain-soaked yellow paper umbrella by the wall. Seeing that he had come to his senses, he said, "We've found the location: Longhu. However, the Spirit Realm is indeed closed, and the entry methods that the station previously knew about are no longer usable."

Pei Ye nodded: "But I have to find a way to get in."

“I haven’t thought of that yet,” Li Jian said. “Probably all the information we know about the mirages has disappeared.”

“…Hmm.” Pei Ye took out a round, pointed, horn-shaped object from his robes. “Look what this is. A water lord brought it to me.” Li Jian took it and examined it for a moment: “Ivory…no, rhinoceros horn. It didn’t disappear with the mirage, so it’s not from the mirage, is it?”

Pei Ye shook her head: "Do you have any clues?"

"Nothing for now." Li Jian said, then thought for a moment and turned to walk towards the bookshelf.

Pei Ye nodded and stood up.

Li Jian turned around: "Where are you going?"

"Find a way," Pei Ye said. "If you have any news, please let me know as soon as possible."

After saying this, the young man put on his bamboo hat, picked up his sword, and left the stage.

He didn't see this platform master as a lifeline when he came, and he didn't see him as one when he left.

Li Jian watched his figure disappear from sight, then looked down from the window and saw a round, yellow straw hat running out from below the stage a moment later.

Li Jian glanced at it for a while, then suddenly smiled slightly, threw the "Book of Jin" he had just opened back onto the bookshelf, made some calculations with his fingers, shook his head, and simply went to do something else at his desk.

Pei Ye pulled the kitten under the brim of his straw hat, and the torrential rain once again filled his senses.

"Little cat, do you have any ideas on how to get in?"

“No.” The black cat paused for a moment. “In my opinion, the Spirit Realm is actually completely sealed off from the inside. It’s the succession ceremony inside the Mirage Dragon, and there’s really no way to enter from the outside.”

Pei Ye nodded without replying. The two of them, one human and one cat, went up to the west tower. Pei Ye made a report and retrieved all the files related to Mirage City.

He closed the door, shutting out the heavy rain, and spread out all the raindrops under the candlelight, connecting four large tables.

The black cat leaped onto the table, examining the case files: "What are you looking for?"

"All preparations in Mirage City related to the 'Water Lord's Ascension'," Pei Ye said, activating the Quail Head. "Ideally, they should be related to Yongji."

The black cat raised its paw and set off many fireworks in the air. It lowered its eyes and flipped through the pages with the boy, copying down and marking all the relevant information.

The heavy rain continued outside the building, and the night deepened. As the quail head began to cause a headache, the man and the cat had already read through it all.

Pei Ye rubbed his temples with his knuckles, silently gazing into the empty space.

"Are you searching this for inspiration?" the black cat asked.

"It's to test an idea," Pei Ye replied.

"what?"

"Perhaps, we can also be like Yu Sicheng."

"what for?"

"Why do you think Yong Ji could be inside?" Pei Ye tilted his head slightly.

"..."

“He is neither a being from the Mirage Realm nor possesses Mirage Blood. He must have entered like everyone else in the Mirage City, sneaking in.” Pei Ye’s eyes were clear, and his voice was low and slow. “But those gang members brought in by the Water Lord all escaped, so how was he able to remain in there?”

"He obtained the rights to the white narcissus."

“That’s right, so Bai Shui acknowledged him.”

The black cat seemed to be deep in thought.

“But he smuggled himself in, and his body contains the flesh and blood of the Scaled Demon,” Pei Ye repeated.

The black cat understood.

“So we can try to be similar to him to some extent,” Pei Ye said. “Just like Yu Sicheng was to Meng’er. Meng’er went in, and Yu Sicheng flew in as well.”

“Look, from these files we can find many of Yongji’s preparations—they have been subtly spreading the news that Yongji is the Water Lord on the Eight Rivers, and there are even sacrifices for the Spirit Realm…” Pei Ye said, “Whatever he does, we do too. It’s all fake, so who will recognize whom?”

Black Cat was silent for a moment: "That sounds feasible, but I must say that Yu Sicheng has been preparing for this plan for four years and has almost completely transformed his body."

“I know, but I want to give it a try.” Pei Ye looked down and flipped through the files. “This is the first attempt. If it doesn’t work, I’ll consider a second and a third.”

"Okay." The black cat had no objection.

Pei Ye closed the case file, went out, and headed towards Zhang Siche's office.

……

……

In the hazy early morning, the rain seemed to have lessened a bit, but it still didn't encourage people to go out. The rain had suddenly turned the recently warmed-up capital into a chilly place, and it felt like spring was back to its chilly days.

Pei Yehe's first attempt took more than a whole day.

He sent a message to Zhu Gaoyang's soul bird, obtained confessions from many people in the Mirage City, requested the Immortal Platform to recreate several sacrificial rituals on Dragon Lake, and even changed all texts inside and outside the capital that mentioned Yong Ji to the name "Pei Ye".

Because the Mirage can erase a person, Pei Ye believes that "existence" itself is recorded by the Mirage.

But this attempt still failed completely.

Pei Ye doesn't understand the principles of the Sutra; he can't transform from one person into another, no matter how much he proclaims it.

But this failure did not seem to shake the young man's resolve. He quickly wrote a second official letter, which was delivered to Zhang Siche's desk by a flying bird. In fact, the Censor had no idea about the actions of this new Hejian, but Li Jian's idea was to cooperate.

“Perhaps the Mirage Realm doesn’t record people’s names,” Pei Ye sighed softly.

“But the Mirage Realm records your efforts to get closer to it,” the black cat comforted him.

Pei Ye could only laugh.

His second method was to have someone send over the beautiful little fish-man that he had rescued and that Xu Chuo had adopted last year.

Pei Ye remembered her name was Xi Ye, but Xu Chuo had clearly not given her any instructions. Pei Ye led her on the boat and swam around several times, but she still couldn't enter the mirage. She just looked up at Pei Ye and shook her head in a wronged and bewildered manner.

Pei Ye didn't do the desecration of a person to extract a pearl, but he tried consuming her hair, nails, scales, and gauze fins, but none of them allowed him to access the Mirage Realm again.

He didn't have time to comfort the little mermaid after making her cry; he just quickly called Zhang Piaoxu to pick her up.

The third method came from ancient books. He and the scribes of the Immortal Platform spent a long time deliberating and decided that this plan to find the legendary spiritual realm was the most worthwhile. It involved eating raw fish from the Cold Abyss, staying on a lone boat, and living in an uninhabited watery realm.

The main point is that this method, whether effective or not, can be used in conjunction with others.

These two methods took another day. At night, Pei Ye lit a lamp and turned the pages of a book, pondering his fourth attempt.

The boat drifted on the pitch-black lake, truly deserted. The rain continued to fall, and the thin mist was shaped by the lamplight. He sat at the bow of the boat, wearing a straw hat, with one bare foot dangling into the water.

(End of this chapter)